As the dust settles on the best season of Formula 1 since people started caring about it (following the 2019 release of the hit Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive), I wanted to take this opportunity to run my eye over the season that was and offer copious amounts of unqualified opinion on how the twenty best drivers this planet has to offer faired this year. In true Rugby League media fashion this will be conveyed through a 0-10 rating system, in order of championship finish.

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 10/10

I’m won’t comment on the way in which he won the championship, plenty of other dribblers have done that for me. But I think it’s fair to say that regardless of the drama, Max was the best driver this year. He took it right to a 7-time world champion in a car that was maybe marginally the fastest at the start of the year and certainly wasn’t by the end. Not only that but he did it despite the shithouse luck he had in Baku, Silverstone, and Hungary. It’s always been inevitable that super Max would win a world championship, and you’d be pretty silly to think that this will be his last.

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 9.5/10

After his absolute domination of the last few F1 seasons, I’d kind of assumed Lewis Hamilton had forgotten how to lose. This year, confronted by his most serious challenge since 2016, Lewis demonstrated exactly why he has won as much as he has, laughing in the face of those suggesting that his Mercedes did all the hard work. And despite being in the twilight of his career, just because he didn’t win this year, certainly doesn’t mean he won’t win next year. 

3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) – 4/10

It’s hard not to feel for Valtteri, who has spent the last five years being directly compared to one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers to ever live and has unsurprisingly not been able to live up to that standard. Expectation finally caught up with Valtteri this year who will be leaving the silver arrows for the decidedly shit Alfa Romeo next season. The realisation of this inevitable break-up seemed to free the flying Finn who finished the year strongly including a win in Istanbul.

4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – 5/10

Max Verstappen’s new teammate for 2021 continued the age-old tradition of disappointing in the second Red Bull car. Checo did manage a win and several podiums and certainly picked up towards the end of the year including some championship-deciding defence in Abu Dhabi. Let’s hope 2022 goes a bit better for the Mexican because Pierre Gasly is absolutely breathing down his neck.

5. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) – 8/10

Carlos probably had the most underrated season of any driver this year, barely putting a foot wrong throughout. The Spaniard did not look out of place in his first season with Ferrari as he got the better of his highly regarded teammate Leclerc and grabbed four podiums along the way. Let’s hope for his sake Ferrari can fight for some wins next year.

6. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 7.5/10

Much like a former NRL player would when in the ring with a plumber, Norris came out swinging at the start of this year desperate not to get alpha’d by the big dog Ricciardo who joined him at McLaren. After 4 impressive podiums leading up to the Russian GP, Lando managed one of the great bed shits of all time throwing away a certain win and settling for 7th. He hasn’t been the same man since.

7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 6.5/10

The season started so promisingly for your girlfriends’ favourite driver with back-to-back pole positions secured in his native Monaco and Azerbaijan as well. Unfortunately for this Monegasque, the season didn’t really live up to the early hype despite a marginal pace increase in the back end of the year lifting the prancing horse over McLaren in the constructor’s championship.

8. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) – 4/10

I don’t care if our Aussie Danny Ric didn’t have a great year. He decided to look deep within himself on the morning of the 12th of September 2021 and go the huge lift for millions of punters back home deep into months of lockdown and in need of a W in the early hours of a Monday morning. The honey badger delivered one of the great wins of all time as McLaren went 1-2 in the Italian Grand Prix. Shoey’s Soon. #reachoutricci.